Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Dongjie Zhu, Yang Li, Zhengjia Zhang, Zeyu Xue, Zhenglai Hua, Xinyi Luo, Ting Zhao, Cheng Lu, Yuanyan Liu
Summary: Tumor vessels play a crucial role in tumor development, and nanotechnology offers a promising approach to target abnormal tumor vessels and specific microenvironments with precise delivery and reduced side effects, achieving combined therapy for maximum anti-tumor effects.
JOURNAL OF NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jun Liao, Li Fan, Yi Li, Qing-Qiang Xu, Li-Yan Xiong, Shan-Shan Zhang, Ji-Hao Liu, Zhi-Cheng Xiao, Chuan Zhang, Jian Yang, Zhe-Sheng Chen, Kai Xiao, Ting-Fang Wang, Ying Lu
Summary: In recent years, brain diseases have become a serious threat to human health due to their high incidence and mortality rates. The main challenge in treating these diseases is delivering drugs efficiently to the brain. Biomimetic nanodelivery systems (BNDSs) have been developed to overcome the obstacles posed by the brain's unique structure and the blood-brain barrier. The enhanced drug-carrying ability and lesion-targeting selectivity of BNDSs offer new opportunities for safe and effective therapies. This review summarizes brain-targeting nanotherapies, particularly those with biomimetic nano-assistance, and discusses the prospects and challenges of their clinical application.
JOURNAL OF CONTROLLED RELEASE
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Maria Antonietta Occhiuzzi, Gernando Lico, Giuseppina Ioele, Michele De Luca, Antonio Garofalo, Fedora Grande
Summary: The PI3K/PKB/mTOR signaling pathway has a well-known biochemical role in cell-cycle regulation. It becomes overactive during the development of cancer, promoting cell proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis. Therefore, targeting this pathway has become important in the treatment of various malignant tumors. Selective inhibitors have been identified, but drugs that target multiple proteins within the pathway have shown higher efficacy and limited drug resistance, making them promising anticancer agents. This survey focuses on small molecule drugs capable of modulating the PI3K/PKB/mTOR signaling pathway as potential pharmacological treatments for cancer.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Bijaideep Dutta, K. C. Barick, P. A. Hassan
Summary: The use of nanomaterials in cancer therapy has the potential to significantly impact drug delivery by enhancing drug concentration at tumor sites, improving drug content in formulations, and increasing colloidal stability. Nanocarriers with tumor-specific moieties can target cancer cells with high affinity and accuracy, overcoming issues such as aimless drug biodistribution and undesired toxicity. Active drug targeting through nanocarriers is a promising strategy for improving cancer management.
ADVANCES IN COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Vahid Mansouri, Nima Beheshtizadeh, Maliheh Gharibshahian, Leila Sabouri, Mohammad Varzandeh, Nima Rezaei
Summary: Regenerative medicine plays a crucial role in cancer treatment by providing novel therapies that alleviate patient suffering and accelerate healing. This field's development will continue to advance our understanding of cancer and promote future research in the field.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2021)
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Xue Ren, Song Zhang, Leijing Liu, Bin Xu, Wenjing Tian
Summary: Image-guided therapy using fluorescent AIEgens has shown great potential in improving the efficacy and reducing side effects of anticancer therapy. Thanks to precise molecular engineering, AIEgens with efficient photosensitizing and photothermal abilities have been developed, and can be assembled into biocompatible nanostructures for image-guided anticancer therapy in aqueous systems.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qiwei Tian, Fengfeng Xue, Yurui Wang, Yuying Cheng, Lu An, Shiping Yang, Xiaoyuan Chen, Gang Huang
Summary: Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is a novel therapeutic modality that aims to destroy cancer cells using Fenton reactions without external energy input. Various strategies have been explored to enhance the efficiency of CDT, including increasing the production, accelerating generation, and enhancing efficacy of hydroxyl radicals.
Review
Oncology
Yun Li, Huajun Zhang, Yulia Merkher, Lin Chen, Na Liu, Sergey Leonov, Yongheng Chen
Summary: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly malignant subtype of breast cancer with a poor prognosis. Current treatment options are limited, but targeted therapies focusing on DNA repair pathways, androgen receptor signaling pathways, kinases, and immunotherapy have shown promise.
JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Tingting Hu, Zhengdi Wang, Weicheng Shen, Ruizheng Liang, Dan Yan, Min Wei
Summary: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a non-invasive therapeutic modality that has gained attention for its high selectivity and limited side effects. However, limitations such as inadequate light penetration depth and non-targeting photosensitizers have hindered its full clinical application. Current research focuses on innovative strategies to overcome these limitations and enhance the therapeutic effect of PDT.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Biao Liu, Jiahao Liu, Xing Hu, Wei Xiang, Weibin Hou, Chao Li, Jinrong Wang, Kun Yao, Jin Tang, Zhi Long, Long Wang, Jianye Liu
Summary: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been a major challenge due to their resistance to chemotherapy and tumor relapse. Aptamers, as chemical anti-bodies, have emerged as a promising tool to target CSCs. They possess advantages such as lower immunogenicity and smaller size, making them superior to conventional antibodies. This review focuses on recent advances in aptamer-drug conjugates against CSCs and discusses the advantages and limitations of different aptamer-based targeted therapies.
MATERIALS TODAY BIO
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Tianyuan Zhong, Jie Yu, Yong Pan, Ning Zhang, Yanxin Qi, Yubin Huang
Summary: Platinum drugs are widely used in cancer treatment, but their toxicity and drug resistance pose challenges. Combination therapy with platinum drugs can effectively inhibit tumor growth and metastasis, reducing toxicity and overcoming resistance. This review summarizes the current progress and challenges in platinum-based combination therapy, including gene editing, ROS-based therapy, thermal therapy, immunotherapy, and imaging modality. It hopes to inspire researchers for the development of more effective platinum-based anti-cancer complexes in the future.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Liang Hong, Jiangmin Li, Yali Luo, Tao Guo, Chenshuang Zhang, Sha Ou, Yaohang Long, Zuquan Hu
Summary: This review summarizes the latest strategies for overcoming hypoxia in tumor photodynamic therapy (PDT), categorizing them into oxygen-independent phototherapy, oxygen-economizing PDT, and oxygen-supplementing PDT. The strengths, shortcomings, opportunities, and challenges of different methods are analyzed.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Minghui Li, Wen Zhang, Xiaopeng Xu, Guoying Liu, Mengfei Dong, Kaoxiang Sun, Peng Zhang
Summary: Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is a newly developed cancer treatment approach that uses Fenton/Fenton-like reaction to convert hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into toxic hydroxyl radicals (center dot OH) to kill tumor cells. However, the therapeutic efficacy of CDT is severely restricted due to the complexity of the intracellular environment of tumor cells. Recent studies have shown that combination therapy strategies can significantly improve the anti-tumor efficiency of CDT.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jidan Zhu, Siyu Chen, Ziwei Liu, Ju Guo, Shuang Cao, Sihui Long
Summary: Since most tumors become resistant to drugs in a gradual and irreversible manner, making treatment less effective over time, continuous development of anticancer drugs is required. Peptoids, as a class of easily synthesized and optimized peptidomimetics, exhibit unique characteristics and have been studied for their potential as a promising alternative for the development of anticancer drugs.
BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Mehdi Sanati, Amir R. Afshari, Prashant Kesharwani, Amirhossein Sahebkar
Summary: Combining chemotherapeutics with small interfering RNAs has shown promising results in cancer treatment with low adverse effects. Curcumin combined with specific siRNAs has been successful in treating cancer models and novel carriers have enhanced the effectiveness and safety of the treatment.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kyung S. Lee, Michel O. Steinmetz
CURRENT OPINION IN STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kyung S. Lee, Jung-Eun Park, Jong Il Ahn, Yan Zeng
Summary: PCM, composed of long coiled-coil proteins and client molecules, serves as a platform for various cellular processes, yet the molecular mechanism underlying its organization remains largely unknown. Evidence suggests that PCM is formed through interphase cylindrical self-assembly and mitotic mesh-like architectures. This review discusses how these higher-order structures are constructed to achieve the functional proficiency of the centrosome.
CURRENT OPINION IN STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Virology
Steven J. Smith, Xue Zhi Zhao, Dario Oliveira Passos, Dmitry Lyumkis, Terrence R. Burke, Stephen H. Hughes
Summary: INSTIs are recommended as first-line treatment for HIV-1 infection, with second-generation drugs effective against resistant viruses and minimal emergence of resistance. They are expected to play a significant role in PrEP.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Steven J. Smith, Xue Zhi Zhao, Dario Oliveira Passos, Valerie E. Pye, Peter Cherepanov, Dmitry Lyumkis, Terrence R. Burke, Stephen H. Hughes
Summary: INSTIs are first-line drugs for the treatment of HIV-1/AIDS, blocking the integration step of the retroviral lifecycle. New and better compounds are needed to overcome mutations that reduce the potency of existing INSTIs.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Seong Keun Sonn, Seungwoon Seo, Jaemoon Yang, Ki Sook Oh, Hsiuchen Chen, David C. Chan, Kunsoo Rhee, Kyung S. Lee, Young Yang, Goo Taeg Oh
Summary: CTRP1, a member of the CTRP family, plays a key role in regulating mitochondrial fission by localizing to the ER membrane. Knockout of CTRP1 leads to mitochondrial elongation, which may result in apoptotic resistance and neuronal degeneration, providing new insights into metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders.
EXPERIMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
SeongShick Ryu, Jung-Eun Park, Young Jin Ham, Daniel C. Lim, Nicholas P. Kwiatkowski, Do-Hee Kim, Debabrata Bhunia, Nam Doo Kim, Michael B. Yaffe, Woolim Son, Namkyoung Kim, Tae-Ik Choi, Puspanjali Swain, Cheol-Hee Kim, Jin-Young Lee, Nathanael S. Gray, Kyung S. Lee, Taebo Sim
Summary: This study successfully designed and synthesized a series of macrocyclic peptidomimetics with high selectivity and inhibitory activities against Plk1's PBD. Compound 16e showed more potent inhibitory activity than the previous PMQSpTPL. The pi-π stacking interaction between 16a and Arg516 revealed a new design strategy, and PEGylation of 16h caused delocalization and mitotic failure of Plk1. Furthermore, the number of phospho-H3-positive cells in zebrafish embryos correlated with the amount of 16a. These findings suggest that macrocyclic peptidomimetics can serve as valuable templates for potent and novel Plk1-PBD inhibitors.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xue Zhi Zhao, Wenjie Wang, George T. T. Lountos, Joseph E. E. Tropea, Danielle Needle, Yves Pommier, Terrence R. R. Burke Jr
Summary: Researchers have designed and synthesized phosphonic acid-containing variants of TDP1 inhibitors, which can mimic the structure of the substrate when bound to TDP1. By analyzing the crystal structures of TDP1 complexed with these inhibitors, the study reveals that phosphonic acid functionality may better replicate the substrate binding interactions of TOP1-DNA than carboxylic acid functionality.
FRONTIERS IN CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Jung-Eun Park, Hobin Lee, Paola Oliva, Klara Kirsch, Bora Kim, Jong Il Ahn, Celeste N. Alverez, Snehal Gaikwad, Kristopher W. Krausz, Robert O'Connor, Ganesha Rai, Anton Simeonov, Beverly A. Mock, Frank J. Gonzalez, Kyung S. Lee, Kenneth A. Jacobson
Summary: Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is an attractive target for anticancer drug discovery due to its widely upregulated activity in various human cancers. In addition to the kinase domain, the C-terminal noncatalytic polo-box domain (PBD) has emerged as an alternative target for developing inhibitors. Triazoloquinazolinone-derived inhibitors effectively block Plk1 with improved affinity and drug-like properties. Further derivatization is needed to improve the stability of these inhibitors for the development of therapeutics against Plk1-addicted cancers.
ACS PHARMACOLOGY & TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biology
Jong Il Ahn, Liang Zhang, Harsha Ravishankar, Lixin Fan, Klara Kirsch, Yan Zeng, Lingjun Meng, Jung-Eun Park, Hye-Yeoung Yun, Rodolfo Ghirlando, Buyong Ma, David Ball, Bonsu Ku, Ruth Nussinov, Jeremy D. Schmit, William F. Heinz, Seung Jun Kim, Tatiana Karpova, Yun-Xing Wang, Kyung S. Lee
Summary: Structural, biophysical, and imaging data demonstrate that self-assembly of the pericentrosomal proteins Cep63 and Cep152 is a stepwise and concentration-dependent process. Defects in this process disrupt proper centriole duplication mediated by Plk4. This study provides insights into the organization and function of pericentriolar materials (PCM) and offers a potential model for studying PCM-related diseases in other species.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kohei Tsuji, David Hymel, Buyong Ma, Hirokazu Tamamura, Ruth Nussinov, Terrence R. Burke
Summary: Researchers have developed a series of high-affinity PBD-binding peptide inhibitors and successfully enhanced the affinity of Plk1 through the investigation of bivalent ligands, challenging the current understanding of KD-PBD interactions.
RSC CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
David Hymel, Kohei Tsuji, Robert A. Grant, Ramesh M. Chingle, Dominique L. Kunciw, Michael B. Yaffe, Terrence R. Burke
Summary: This study focuses on the design and synthesis of macrocyclic peptide mimetics targeting the Plk1 PBD, utilizing a new glutamic acid analog to enhance affinity and access hidden cryptic pockets. The introduction of this new amino acid analog enables additional hydrogen-bonding interactions and the first example of high affinity ligands accessing the cryptic pocket without relying on histidine residues. These concepts may be beneficial for further research on Plk1 PBD and other PPI targets.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2021)
